Front installing drawer pulling force adjusting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A front installing drawer pulling force adjusting apparatus is installed at a front end of a slide. The slide includes a bottom rail, a middle rail and an internal rail. The bottom rail has a latch element at the front end. The bottom rail has a slidable middle rail. The internal rail is embedded onto the middle rail and slid on the middle rail. The front end of the internal rail includes a limit element having a resilient element corresponding to the latch element. The internal rail is connected to an object that needs to be moved. During assembling, a portion intersecting the resilient element in the limit element with the limit element determines the level of retraction of the resilient element to adjust the tightness of clamping the resilient element onto the latch element of the bottom rail, so that users can open a drawer with an appropriate force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a front installing drawer pulling forceadjusting apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus with astructure that uses a slide module for adjusting a force applied by auser to a drawer by means of the level of tightness of elasticallyclamping a resilient element to a latch element, so that the user canopen the drawer with an appropriate force.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1 for R.O.C. Pat. Application No. 93216385, the patentapplication discloses a bottom rail 200, and an end of the bottom rail200 includes two corresponding flanges 201 with a predetermined intervalbetween the flanges 201, and the bottom rail 200 has a pull slide 300disposed thereon, and the pull slide 300 has an adjusting latch element310 pivotally disposed on a surface facing towards the bottom rail 200,and the adjusting latch element 310 has a latch pillar 311 protrudedtowards the bottom rail 200 and a flange 312 fixed under the latchpillar 311 with a segment difference, and the adjusting latch element310 has a set of elastically flexible latch 313, and the pull slide 300has a rotating wheel 320 pivotally connected to an adjacent enteringposition of the adjusting latch element 310, and the rotating wheel 320has a guide slot 321 disposed along the periphery of the rotating wheel320 for precisely inserting the latch pillar 311. Though the device withthis structure can drive the adjusting latch element 310 by the rotatingwheel 320 to extend the latch 313 on the adjusting latch element 310into the interval of the flanges 201 to a certain depth for adjustingthe pulling force. The shallower the extension, the looser is thepulling force; and the deeper the extension, the tighter is the pullingforce, and the lesser is the effort required for pulling a drawer. Sincethe prior art requires complicated components and incurs a high cost,and the device gets stuck easily during the rotating process, the priorart requires improvements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor of thepresent invention based on years of experience in the related industryto conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally developed afront installing drawer pulling force adjusting apparatus in accordancewith the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the priorart.

Therefore, it is a primary objective of the present invention toovercome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a frontinstalling drawer pulling force adjusting apparatus installed at a frontend of a slide, and the slide is installed in a cabinet. The slidecomprises a bottom rail, a middle rail and an internal rail, wherein afront end of the bottom rail has a latch element embedded thereon, andthe bottom rail has a slidable middle rail, and the internal rail isembedded onto the middle rail and slid on the middle rail, and a frontend of the internal rail has a limit element, and the limit elementincludes a resilient element corresponding to the latch element.Further, the internal rail is connected to an object such as a drawerthat needs to be moved. During assembling, the portion that intersectsthe resilient element in the limit element with the limit elementdetermines the extent of retracting the resilient element to adjust thetightness of clamping the resilient element onto the latch element ofthe bottom rail, so that users can open a drawer with an appropriateforce. The invention comes with simple components and provides aconvenient application.

To make it easy for our examiner to understand the above and otherobjects, features and advantages of the present invention, we usepreferred embodiments accompanied with the related drawings for thefollowing detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus of a prior art;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the present invention viewing from anotherangle;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of an assembly of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a resilient element entering into a limitelement in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is another schematic view of a resilient element entering into alimit element in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a resilient element latch moving on alatch element in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is another schematic view of a resilient element latch moving ona latch element in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the invention relates to a front installingdrawer pulling force adjusting apparatus installed at a front end of aslide 1, and the slide 1 comprises a bottom rail 10, a middle rail 20and an internal rail 30.

The bottom rail 10 is a substantially U-shaped frame in this embodiment,and an external lateral surface of the bottom rail 10 is fixed onto twocorresponding walls (not shown in the figure) on the internal sides ofthe cabinet or drawer, and the bottom rail 10 has a protruding latchelement 11 at an end of an internal lateral surface. In this embodiment,the protruding latch element 11 is a circular lump installed at thefront end of the bottom rail 10.

The middle rail 20 is embedded onto the bottom rail 10 and slid on thebottom rail 10, and the middle rail 20 is also a U-shaped frame.Further, the middle rail 20 has a curvedly concave rail 21 disposedseparately on both internal lateral surface of the middle rail 20, andan end of middle rail 20 has a positioning base 22, and both sides ofthe positioning base 22 have a rail bar 221, and the rail bars 221 areembedded precisely into the rail 21, such that the positioning base 22can be fixed onto the middle rail 20.

The internal rail 30 is embedded onto the middle rail 20 and slid on themiddle rail 20. The internal rail 30 is a substantially U-shaped framein this embodiment and connected to an object such as a drawer orretaining shelf (not shown in the figure) that needs to be moved. Theinternal rail 30 has a brake element 31 installed on a surface facingtowards the bottom rail 10. In this embodiment, the internal rail 30 isa L-shaped lump, and an end of the brake element 31 has a stop member 32protruded towards the middle rail 20, and the stop member 32 is pressedprecisely against an edge of the positioning base 22, and another end ofthe brake element 31 has a through hole 33 for locking a screw rod 34into a screw hole 35 of the internal rail 30 (as shown in FIG. 5) inorder to fix the brake element 31 onto the internal rail 30, and pushingthe middle rail 20. The internal rail 30 further includes a resilientelement 40 which is a resilient bracket or a spring in this embodiment,and the resilient element 40 maintains a specific interval from thebrake element 31, and an end of the resilient element 40 has a baseportion 41, the base portion 41 has a hole 411 for passing a bolt 412 ofthe internal rail 30, such that the resilient element 40 can be fixedonto the internal rail 30, and the resilient element 40 has a wingbracket 42 extended separately outward from both sides of the baseportion 41, and the wing brackets 42 are extended farther from thebottom rail 10 than the base portion 41, so that a predetermined heightdifference exists between the wing brackets 42 and the base portion 41as shown in FIG. 2, and the wing brackets 42 are in a wavy shape, and anotch 43 is formed at the connecting position of the wing brackets 42and the base portion 41, and a specific interval is maintained betweenthe notch 43 and the latch element 11 on the bottom rail 10.

Further, the resilient element 40 can be accommodated by a limit element50, and the limit element 50 has an embedding slot 51 disposed on acorresponding surface of the internal rail 30, and the embedding slot 51can be embedded precisely onto an edge of the internal rail 30, and thelimit element 50 has a containing space 52 concavely disposed on asurface facing towards the resilient element 40, and both sides of thecontaining space 52 have a plurality of continuous protruded teeth 521,and the interval between the protruded teeth 521 on both sides aretapered inward. In the meantime, the interval between the protrudedteeth 521 is provided for embedding the wing brackets 42 of theresilient element 40.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 9, the bottom rail 10, the middle rail 20 andthe internal rail 30 are installed sequentially during the assembling,and the bottom rail 10 is fixed onto an internal surface of the cabinet(not shown in the figure), and the limit element 50 is moved to anappropriate position as required. In FIG. 7, if it is necessary to movethe limit element 50 towards the resilient element 40, the wing brackets42 of the resilient element 40 will be restricted by the protruded teeth521 proximate to the internal side of the limit element 50 and retractedtightly inward. On the other hand, if it is necessary to move the limitelement 50 in an opposite direction to the resilient element 40, thenthe wing brackets 42 of the resilient element 40 will be restricted bythe limit element 50 on the protruded teeth 521 proximate to the openingof the containing space 52 and expanded slightly outward as shown inFIG. 6, so that the protruded teeth 521 having different intervals apartof the limit element 50 restrict the extent of retracting the wingbrackets 42 of the resilient element 40 to determine the tightness ofclamping the wing brackets 42 of the resilient element 40 to the latchelement 11 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, so that users can open a drawerwith an appropriate force. The present invention comes with simplecomponents and provides a convenient application.

In summation of the above description, the present invention hereinenhances the performance than the conventional structure and furthercomplies with the patent application requirements and is duly filed forpatent application.

While the invention is described in some detail hereinbelow withreference to certain illustrated embodiments, it is to be understoodthat there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On thecontrary, the aim is to cover all modifications, alternatives andequivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

1. A front installing drawer pulling force adjusting apparatus,comprising: a bottom rail, fixed on an object, and having a latchelement protruded from an end of said bottom rail; a middle rail,embedded onto said bottom rail, and moved back and forth on said thebottom rail; an internal rail, embedded onto said middle rail, and movedback and forth on said middle rail, and coupled with said object thatneeds to be moved; a limit element, embedded and movably sliding on saidinternal rail, and having a containing space; and a resilient element,fixed onto said internal rail, and contained in said containing space ofsaid limit element, and both sides of said resilient element separatelyhaving a swingable wing bracket; thereby, said limit element is moved toa predetermined position on said internal rail to adjust the positionintersected with said resilient element during an installation,determine the level of tightness of clamping said resilient element ontoan embedding slot of said latch element, and allow a user toappropriately adjust said positioning base as required, so as to open adrawer within a range of appropriate applying forces.
 2. The frontinstalling drawer pulling force adjusting apparatus according to claim1, wherein said bottom rail, said middle rail and said internal rail areU-shape frames.
 3. The front installing drawer pulling force adjustingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein said middle rail includes apositioning base disposed at an end of said middle rail.
 4. The frontinstalling drawer pulling force adjusting apparatus according to claim3, wherein said internal rail includes a brake element installed on asurface facing towards a surface of said bottom rail, and said brakeelement maintains a predetermined interval from said resilient element,and an end of said brake element has a stop member protruded towardssaid middle rail, and pressed against an edge of said positioning base.5. The front installing drawer pulling force adjusting apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said resilient element further includes abase portion disposed at an end corresponding to said wing bracket, andfixed onto said internal rail by said base portion.
 6. The frontinstalling drawer pulling force adjusting apparatus according to claim5, wherein said resilient element is fixed onto said internal rail by aslot.
 7. The front installing drawer pulling force adjusting apparatusaccording to claim 5, wherein said wing bracket on said resilientelement is protruded farther from said bottom rail than said baseportion, such that said wing brackets have a predetermined heightdifference from said base portion, and a notch is formed at theconnecting position of said wing brackets and said base portion, and apredetermined interval is maintained between said notch and said bottomrail.
 8. The front installing drawer pulling force adjusting apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said resilient element is a resilientbracket.
 9. The front installing drawer pulling force adjustingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein said containing space of saidlimit element includes a plurality of protruded teeth disposed on bothsides of said containing space, and said wing bracket of said resilientelement is substantially in a wavy shape corresponding to the shape ofsaid protruded teeth.
 10. The front installing drawer pulling forceadjusting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said protruded teethon both sides of said containing space have a tapered interval from eachother, when said protruded teeth are extended inward.